Does God want us to enjoy life? Absolutely!

It is a great lie that God is an angry God, an omnipotent and omnipresent supreme being who is waiting to punish us. It is a great lie that God is a malicious creator and deity and a cosmic killjoy who wants to remove anything and everything that brings us enjoyment. God desires that we enjoy life. The following  passages attest:

• Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
• I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
• This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot.Ecclesiastes 5:18
• Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
• This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
• So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:34
• Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4
• Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

These are just some of the amazing passages found in Scripture that affirm God wants us to enjoy being alive, to enjoy the fruit of our hard work, and to live with abundant, overflowing joy. God wants us to live life to the fullest.
Scripture also affirms that God is the source of all happiness, from which love and joy flows. Psalm 34:8 reads, “O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in Him.” If God is the source of happiness, then it makes perfect sense to stay in touch with God. When we sin (miss the mark),
separate ourselves from the Source of perfect happiness. No matter how hard, far, or wide we search, we will never find happiness if we separate from God’s will.

You can choose to find happiness outside of God. You can choose to enjoy life without God. But will your happiness be complete? John 15:4-5 reads:

“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit because apart from Me you can do nothing.”

When you listen to God, your happiness will be full. Make God the source of your happiness today. Through our enjoyment of life and the joy we experience that attracts people to God. No matter how big our problems are, when we keep out focus on God’s Word [the life, ministry, and witness of Jesus] and Love for us, our complications will look small and be easy to deal with, so we may enjoy life, and that more abundantly.

So! Are you enjoying your life?